NBA lockout makes arena schedulers scramble

Amway Center could book concerts in place of Magic

May 28, 2011|By Brian Schmitz, Magic Insider

The bad news of a potential lockout next season: No Magic games at Amway Center, obviously.

The good news (there's good news?): You might be able to see unexpected appearances by the Magic's possible arena replacements --- Kenny Chesney, Prince, U2 and Jimmy Buffett, among other quick, sure-fire sellout shows.

Whatever the case, a work stoppage will test the scheduling skills of Allen Johnson, executive director of venues for the city of Orlando.

Johnson said the city and the Magic will wait until early August for the NBA to release its schedule. They will then proceed "business as usual" until the league reacts to the labor climate,

The tricky part? Not knowing how long any lockout might last.

"When I get the (Magic's) schedule on Aug. 1 is when I lock in 41 home games," Johnson said. "After that, I don't touch games until I hear differently from the NBA.

"My experience is we're not going to release this date until they release it to me."

Johnson said he can book a popular artist to replace a Magic game with a notice of 30 days. He said Taylor Swift's concert next Saturday sold out in three minutes.

"What I'll do is I'll start taking a second 'hold' (on a date) where I never used to do that. If the work stoppage goes into the fall, I'll take a second hold for X, Y, Z artist," he said. "But until I get that game officially canceled, I can't give you that date."

The city will get paid by the Magic even if games are not played at Amway Center (the lease is $1 million and revenue sharing is $1.7 million, annually).

Of course, the last thing Johnson wants is any sort of booking conflict.

Two years ago, the Denver Nuggets and World Wrestling Entertainment battled over the same late May date (May 25) at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets didn't think they'd still be in the playoffs past the first round, with Kroenke Sports booking the wrestling event the previous August.

"We all hope for a quick resolution to any work stoppage," Johnson said. "We'd much rather have games."

Johnson said the city and the Magic are proceeding as if the 2012 NBA All-Star Game (Feb 26) at Amway Center will be played, holding various meetings in anticipation of hosting the event.

The 1999 all-star game, set for Philadelphia, was canceled during the league's last labor dispute and rescheduled for 2002 in Philly. Commissioner David Stern has promised that Orlando will host to an all-star game if the weekend is wiped out.

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The Big Sleep

If you haven't seen the You Tube video of Shaquille O'Neal participating in a Harvard University sleep apnea study, it's worth the upload.

Shaq's girlfriend, Nikki "Hoopz" Alexander, talked him into seeing doctors to monitor his snoring and several alarming moments when she heard his breathing come to a halt.

Shaq, hooked up to various electrodes while he was observed overnight, was diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea. He was fitted for a mask to help clear his breathing passages.

This now explains why Shaq slept through the 2010-11 season.

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Bynum untouchable?

The Lakers won't deal C Andrew Bynum under any circumstances, even in a sign-and-trade involving Dwight Howard, according to Yahoo! sports.

Howard is planning a trip to Alabama to lift the spirits of tornado victims on Thursday. Here's the word from his Twitter account, posted Friday. "heyyy world!! I'll be in Alabama June 2 with @d12foundation Want to Join me? go to D12foundation.org to sign up.". . .Much will be made about the "rematch" between Miami and Dallas after they met in the 2006 NBA Finals. It's only a rematch if Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem of the Heat face Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry of the Mavs in games of 2-on-2. They are the only holdovers from those playoff rosters….Former Magic PG Darrell Armstrong is an assistant coach with the Mavs, but he also played for them in the Finals in June of '06. Oddly enough, Armstrong was traded a month later by the Mavs to the Indiana Pacers for PG Anthony Johnson, who later played for the Magic. . .The high-fliers in the Miami-Dallas series aren't the players. It's da plane! American Airlines owns the naming rights for the arenas in which both the Heat and the Mavs are housed. CNBC.com reports that the airline company could gain as much as $95.9 million in exposure if the series goes seven games.

bschmitz@tribune.com. Brian Schmitz' Magic Insider and his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/Magic blog. Subscribe to our Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/join us. And listen to Brian every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. on ESPN 1080.